A Deadly Myth

Women, Handguns, and Self-Defense

Introduction

In the late 1980s, the gun industry began targeting women to counter
slumping handgun sales among its primary market of white males. The
false message delivered by gunmakers was clear: the greatest threat
posed to a woman was an attack by a stranger and, the best form of protection
a woman could rely upon was a handgun.1

Much to the disappointment and consternation of the gun industry, these
efforts for the most part have failed. A 1995 study by the National
Opinion Research Center (NORC) conducted by Tom Smith and Robert J.
Smith found that handgun ownership among women was, and remains, uncommon.
This study found any fluctuations in the percentage of women who owned
handguns to be statistically insignificant (see Chart One below).2

The 1996 study Guns
in America found that only 6.6 percent of adult American women owned
a handgun—less than one out of every 10 women. But of these women, nearly
85 percent owned their handguns for self-defense—a figure that offers
gunmakers continual hope in their marketing endeavors.3 Yet how often
are handguns actually used by women to kill in self-defense? The answer,
as revealed by unpublished Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) data,
is hardly ever. Women were murdered with handguns more than 1,200 times
in 1998 alone. As these numbers reveal, handguns don't offer protection
for women, but instead guarantee peril.4

For all of the promises
made on behalf of the self-defense handgun, using a handgun to kill
in self-defense is a rare event.5 Looking at both men and women, over
the past 20 years, on average only two percent of the homicides committed
with handguns in the United States were deemed justifiable or self-defense
homicides by civilians.6 To put it in perspective, more people are struck
by lightning each year than use handguns to kill in self-defense.7

This study presents
data from the FBI and consists of three different analyses concerning
women, handguns, and self-defense. It compares incidents of:

women using a
handgun to kill in self-defense to women murdered with a handgun;

women using a
handgun to kill an intimate acquaintance in self-defense to women
murdered by an intimate acquaintance with a handgun; and,

women using
a handgun to kill a stranger in self-defense to women murdered with
a handgun.

In 1998,
for every time a woman used a handgun to kill in self-defense, 101 women
were murdered with a handgun.

Despite the promises
of gun-industry advertising, a woman is far more likely to be the victim
of a handgun homicide than to use a handgun in a justifiable homicide.
In 1998, handguns were used to murder 1,209 women.8 That same year, 12
women used handguns to kill in self-defense.

When a woman did
use a handgun to kill in self-defense, it was usually against someone
she knew, not against a stranger. Of the 12 handgun self-defense
killings by women reported to the FBI in 1998, eight involved attackers
known to the woman, while only four involved strangers.

All the attackers
that the women justifiably killed were males, as were an overwhelming
number of offenders in female handgun homicides. For the majority of
both justifiable and criminal homicides, both the shooter and the victim
were of the same race. [See Table One]

TABLE ONE

Women who used a
handgun to kill in self-defense

Attackers killed by a
woman with a handgun
in self-defense

Women murdered with a
handgun

Those who murdered a
woman with a handgun

Number of people

12

12

1,209

at least 1,1109

Average age

31.9

31.2

34.5

36.2

Race (where known)

White - 33%

Black - 67%

Other - 0%

White - 42%

Black - 58%

Other - 0%

White - 55%

Black - 42%

Other - 3%

White - 53%

Black - 45%

Other - 1%

Gender

.

Male - 100%

Female - 0%

.

Male - 96%

Female - 4%

Percent of incidents that
were intra-racial10

75%

92%

In 1998, for
every time a woman used a handgun to kill an intimate acquaintance in
self-defense, 83 woman were murdered by an intimate acquaintance with
a handgun.

It is often intimate
acquaintances and family members who endanger a woman's life.11 Yet women
who own a handgun for self-defense usually do so to protect themselves
from strangers. Many women who use handguns to kill in self-defense
use the weapon against someone they know, or someone with whom they
have, or have had, a romantic relationship.

Recognizing that
most people are killed by someone they know, it is not surprising that
the majority of justifiable homicides involve victims and attackers
known to each other. Of the 12 justifiable homicides by women using
a handgun that were reported to the FBI in 1998, eight involved an attacker
known to the woman. Of these eight offenders, six were intimate acquaintances
(three boyfriends, three husbands), one was a friend, and one was an
acquaintance.

When there is a
deadly encounter between a woman and her intimate acquaintance, and
a handgun is involved, the most common scenario involves a woman being
shot and killed by her intimate acquaintance. Of the 872 women murdered
with a handgun whose relationship could be determined, 57 percent (497
of 872) were intimate acquaintances of the offender.12 Of
these, more than half (260 of 497) were wives of the offenders. [See
Table Two]

TABLE TWO

Women who killed an intimate
acquaintance with a handgun in self-defense

Women murdered by an intimate
acquaintance with a handgun

Number of People

6

497

Relationships

3 were Girlfriends

3 were Wives

260 were Wives

180 were Girlfriends

31 were Common-Law Wives

26 were Ex-Wives

In 1998, for every time a woman used a handgun to kill a stranger in
self-defense, 302 woman were murdered with a handgun.

Women who purchase
handguns for self-protection are most likely planning to protect themselves
and their families from strangers. Yet, women rarely use handguns to
kill strangers in self-defense. In fact, compared to the frequency with
which a woman uses a handgun to kill a stranger, the number of times
that a handgun is used to murder a woman is staggering.

Table Three lists,
by state, the number of women who used a handgun to kill a stranger
or an intimate acquaintance in self-defense, as well as the number of
women murdered with a handgun in 1998. Of the 47 states that submitted
data to the FBI that year, only eight reported any justifiable homicides
by women involving a handgun: California, Colorado, Georgia, Michigan,
North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. Of these, only California,
Georgia, and North Carolina reported women who justifiably killed a
stranger in self-defense, while California, Colorado, Oklahoma, Tennessee,
and Texas reported women who justifiably killed an intimate acquaintance
in self-defense.

Table Three

State

Number of Women WhoUsed a Handgun

Number of Women
Murdered with a
Handgun

to Kill a Stranger in
Self-Defense

to Kill an Intimate
Acquaintance in Self-Defense

to Kill a Friend or
Acquaintance in Self-Defense

Alabama

0

0

0

37

Alaska

0

0

0

4

Arizona

0

0

0

42

Arkansas

0

0

0

20

California

2

1

0

178

Colorado

0

1

0

21

Connecticut

0

0

0

10

Delaware

0

0

0

2

Florida13

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Georgia

1

0

0

46

Hawaii

0

0

0

1

Idaho

0

0

0

5

Illinois

0

0

0

49

Indiana

0

0

0

51

Iowa

0

0

0

8

Kansas

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Kentucky

0

0

0

8

Louisiana

0

0

0

48

Maine

0

0

0

5

Maryland

0

0

0

28

Massachusetts

0

0

0

3

Michigan

0

0

1

41

Minnesota

0

0

0

6

Mississippi

0

0

0

15

Missouri

0

0

0

28

Montana

0

0

0

2

Nebraska

0

0

0

2

Nevada

0

0

0

16

New Hampshire

0

0

0

1

New Jersey

0

0

0

18

New Mexico

0

0

0

3

New York

0

0

0

45

North Carolina

1

0

0

59

North Dakota

0

0

0

0

Ohio

0

0

0

35

Oklahoma

0

1

0

20

Oregon

0

0

0

17

Pennsylvania

0

0

0

53

Rhode Island

0

0

0

0

South Carolina

0

0

0

39

South Dakota

0

0

0

1

Tennessee

0

2

0

34

Texas

0

1

1

124

Utah

0

0

0

8

Vermont

0

0

0

1

Virginia

0

0

0

34

Washington

0

0

0

27

West Virginia

0

0

0

9

Wisconsin

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Wyoming

0

0

0

5

Total

4

6

2

1,209

Table Four offers
a more detailed analysis of the 1998 incidents involving women who used
a handgun to kill a stranger in self-defense versus female handgun homicides.
The female victims murdered with a handgun, as well as women who killed
a stranger in self-defense, tended to be disproportionately black. According
to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 1998 12.1 percent of the U.S. population
was black.14 However, 42 percent of women murdered with a handgun and
75 percent of women who killed a stranger in self-defense with a handgun
were black. Additionally, all the intruders that the women justifiably
killed and an overwhelming number of the offenders in female handgun
homicides were male. Finally, for both criminal and justifiable homicides,
the majority of victims and offenders were of the same race.

TABLE FOUR

Women who used a
handgun to kill a
stranger in self-defense

Strangers killed by a
woman with a handgun
in self-defense

Women murdered with a
handgun

Offenders who
murdered a woman with
a handgun

Number of people

4

4

1,209

at least 1,11015

Average age

32.0

24.0

34.5

36.2

Race (where known)

White - 25%

Black - 75%

Other - 0%

White - 25%

Black - 75%

Other - 0%

White - 55%

Black - 42%

Other - 3%

White - 53%

Black - 45%

Other - 1%

Gender

.

Male - 100%

Female - 0%

.

Male - 96%

Female - 4%

Percent of incidents that
were intra-racial16

50%

92%

Conclusion

Currently, only
a small minority of adult American women own a handgun. Before a woman
purchases a handgun for protection, she must pause to consider whether
the grave risk—in 1998, a woman was 101 times more likely to be murdered
with a handgun than to use a handgun to justifiably kill an attacker—is
one she is willing to accept.

One example is
an ad for Thunder Ranch, Inc., which provides "State of the art Firearms
and Tactical training." The ad shows a woman dressed in a tight-fitting
turtleneck and jeans, with a handgun holstered to her belt. The caption
reads, "I go to Thunder Ranch. I refuse to be food for anybody!" (Women
and Guns, May-June 1999, 55). An ad for Hidden Holster™ shows
a woman asleep in her bed, dressed in a lacy negligee. Attached to
her mattress is a handgun in a holster. The headline states, "Hidden
Holster™ Keeps Your Handgun Ready!" while the text reads, "When in
bed how accessible is your handgun? Do you know exactly where it is?
Can you reach it without making a sudden move that could alert an
intruder?" (Women and Guns, March-April 1998, 5). An ad for
handgun manufacturer Beretta shows a pistol which fits "in the palm
of your hand." The handgun is held in a woman's hand with manicured
red fingernails and a delicate gold bracelet. (Women and Guns, March-April
1999, 33). An ad for New England Firearms shows a small, five-shot
handgun—the "NEF® LADY ULTRA™ 32 H&R MAGNUM: The Sensible Choice for
Personal Protection." The text reads, "Violent crime against women
is on the rise—so you deserve the ability to protect yourself and
your family. Increasingly, women are choosing firearms for personal
defense; we hope you'll never need to use one, but you know you can't
take chances, either." (Women and Guns, February 1997, 9).

Data from Tom
W. Smith and Robert J. Smith, "Changes in Firearms Ownership Among
Women, 1980-1994," The Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology
86, no.1 (1995): 133-149. The article did not provide data for the
missing years. Additional data, 1996 to 1998, from phone conversation
with Tom W. Smith, September 20, 2000. Statistical analysis applies
only to years 1980 to 1994.

A 1986 New
England Journal of Medicine study entitled "Protection or Peril?
An Analysis of Firearm-Related Deaths in the Home" found that for
every time a firearm was used in a self-defense homicide, 37 lives
were lost in gun suicides, 4.6 lives were lost in gun homicides, and
1.3 lives were lost via unintentional gun deaths. More specifically,
handguns were used in 70.5 percent of the deaths. A 1998 Journal
of Trauma study entitled "Injuries and Death Due to Firearms in
the Home" looked at both fatal and non-fatal repercussions of having
a firearm in the home and found that, for every time a gun in the
home was used in a self-defense shooting, there were four unintentional
shootings, seven criminal assaults or homicides, and 11 attempted
or completed suicides.

Although the
SHR offers no information on non-lethal self-defense
firearm use, the Bureau of Justice Statistics' National Crime Victimization
Survey (NCVS) does. What is most striking about the information contained
in the survey is how rarely firearms are used for self-defense. The
April 1994 Justice Department study Guns and Crime revealed
that according to the NCVS only about one percent (62,200) of all
victims of violence claimed to have used a firearm of any type (handgun,
rifle, or shotgun) to defend themselves. Another 20,300 reported using
a firearm to defend their property during a theft, household burglary,
or motor vehicle theft. (It should be noted however, that all self-defense
uses were defined by the survey respondent, and would therefore include
all perceived threats as well as legitimate threats.) Also,
in these instances it is not known whether the gun was used successfully
to stop the crime. In comparison, the study reported, offenders armed
with handguns alone committed a record 931,000 violent crimes in 1992.
Michael R. Rand, "Handgun Victimization, Firearm Self-Defense, and
Firearm Theft: Guns and Crime," Crime Data Brief (Washington,
D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, April
1994).

FBI Supplementary
Homicide Report data, 1978-1998. In 1998,there were 191 civilian justifiable
homicides in the United States according to the FBI SHR. Of these,
145 involved a handgun. Of these handgun justifiable homicides, 12
were committed by women, 121 were committed by men, and 12 were committed
by people whose gender was not reported.

According to
the FBI's Uniform Crime Report, justifiable homicide is defined
as: "The killing of a felon, during the commission of a felony, by
a private citizen."

1998 is the most
recent year available for FBI Supplementary Homicide Report data.

Number is unknown
because many women were murdered by an unknown number of offender(s).
Additionally, some women were murdered by more than one offender.
The minimum number is 1,110 offenders.

Numbers in this
category are based on single victim/single offender incidents only.

Intimate acquaintance
is defined as a spouse, common-law spouse, ex-spouse, boyfriend or
girlfriend, or homosexual lover.

Information regarding
relationship of victim to offender was not available for the 99 women
who were not listed as the first victim in a homicide (i.e., they
were listed as the second or third victim in a homicide incident with
multiple victims). Additionally, the relationship was categorized
as unknown for 238 of the female victims who were the only or first
victim in a homicide.

Information
for the states of Florida, Kansas, and Wisconsin is not listed because
they did not contribute their data to the FBI Supplementary Homicide
Report in 1998.

"Resident Population
Estimates of the United States by Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin:
April 1, 1990 to November 1, 1999," (U.S. Census Bureau) downloaded
April 4, 2000, from www.census.gov/population/estimates/nation/intfile3-1.txt;
INTERNET.

Number is unknown
because many women were murdered by an unknown number of offender(s).
Additionally, some women were murdered by more than one offender.
The minimum number is 1,110 offenders.

Numbers in this
category are based on single victim/single offender incidents only.

The Violence Policy Center is a national non-profit educational foundation
that conducts research on violence in America and works to develop violence-reduction
policies and proposals. The Center examines the role of firearms in America,
conducts research on firearms violence, and explores new ways to decrease
firearm-related death and injury.